Keep It Under Your Hat
by aviatrix8
Summary: Natasha had always been fascinated by Joshua's hat... What secrets could it hold? FE8.


Copyright, Aviatrix8, 2010. Fire Emblem and all related characters are property of Nintendo et al., and are used without permission.

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This was written for the "Wager" challenge, for the FE Contest comm on LiveJournal.

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Fire Emblem 8:

"Keep It Under Your Hat"

by Avi

The first thing that Natasha ever noticed about Joshua was his hat.

Not even the shock of bright red hair could distract her from the hat; it tilted over his right eye in a rakish manner, giving him a sly, crooked grin.

With that hat on, he reminded her of a sword-wielding swashbuckler from an adventure story, or perhaps a pirate from one of her steamier romance novels (which even Natasha wouldn't confess to keeping well-hidden in her room, back at the abbey).

It was the hat that first drew her to Joshua; that made Natasha wager her life on a silly coin toss, despite the danger. It may have seemed foolish at the time, but somehow, she felt she could trust the man underneath that lopsided hat.

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After Joshua joined their army, Natasha found herself making odd speculations about his hat; him winning it in a bet seemed the most likely story. Or maybe it was the spoils from a defeated enemy, or taken as a trophy after besting someone at a duel...

Sometimes, Natasha wondered if she was actually more fascinated by Joshua's hat, rather than the man himself.

Natasha knew it was silly to dwell on such things, especially in the middle of a war; her hands were full enough as it is, tending to the wounded in the army. Perhaps it was her way of distracting herself from the difficult task at hand... Or perhaps it was just her way of dealing with the new emotions she found welling up inside of her.

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When Natasha found out about Joshua's past, she was every bit as shocked as her fellow companions were; yet she also wondered if it was this... Secrecy that she sensed from him, back when they first met.

Yet despite this new insight, Natasha still felt an air of mystery surrounding Joshua... (Maybe it really _was_ the hat, after all.)

Finally, Natasha's curiosity got the better of her. After tending to her duties one day, she sought out Joshua, and got up the nerve to approach him.

"Pardon me, Joshua... Could I ask you something?"

"Anything, beautiful."

"I've been wondering... Where did you get your hat from?"

"The real story, you mean?" grinned Joshua, with a tip of said hat. "How about this: I'll tell you, if you make a bet with me."

At this, Natasha gave a little sigh. "Must everything be a wager with you, Joshua?"

"Take it or leave it," he replied, still grinning. "Heck, I'll even throw in my hat, as a bonus."

Natasha shook her head in exasperation. "Oh, very well. What's the wager, then?"

"Just a simple coin toss. You win, and I'll tell you. I win, and you can keep on wondering."

Natasha bit her thumbnail for a moment, then slowly nodded. Joshua then took out a gold coin from his pocket, and flicked it into the air.

"Call it," he told her.

"Er... Tails."

Joshua deftly caught the coin, and flipped it onto his other hand.

"Looks like Lady Luck is not on my side today," he said, with a wry smile. "Tails it is." With a flourish, he removed his hat, and handed it over to Natasha. "My hat is now yours."

Natasha looked flustered by this gesture. "Wait! I didn't say I _wanted_ your hat-" she protested.

"But you _were_ curious about it, weren't you?" said Joshua, with a knowing wink. "So now you can examine it to your heart's content."

With some hesitation, Natasha took the hat from Joshua... Then, she began to turn it over in her hands.

There didn't appear to be anything remarkable about the hat; its navy blue felt was worn in places, and its gold trim had long faded. There was nothing hidden in the brim (Natasha half expected to find a coin tucked away somewhere), nor were there any pockets hidden inside the hat itself...

"Joshua," began Natasha in a careful tone, "since I won the bet, you have to tell me where you got this hat from... Right?"

"I suppose I do," replied Joshua, avoiding her eyes.

She gazed at him expectantly. "Well?"

Joshua sighed. "The truth is, I can't even remember where I got that hat from," he admitted, looking somewhat sheepish. "I'm fairly certain I just picked it up from somewhere, one day; there's no story behind it, or anything."

Natasha stared blankly at him. "Really? There's nothing special about this hat, at all?"

Joshua shook his head. "I'd like to say that I won it in a bet, or that it was a gift from a pirate king, but that wouldn't be the truth... And that's what you wanted to know, isn't it?"

"'The truth'", murmured Natasha. Now that she knew the real secret of the hat, all the little stories she had come up with seemed ridiculous, in comparison... She had to resist the urge to burst out laughing.

"Natasha? Are you all right?"

Natasha looked up, to see Joshua gazing at her in concern.

"I'm fine," she replied, and managed to compose herself. She then looked down at the hat, still in her hands. "So this hat belongs to me, now?"

"Of course. Perhaps you'd like to try it on?" teased Joshua.

Natasha flushed. "I-I think the hat better suits you," she stammered.

"But it's yours now, Natasha," he pointed out. "You won it, fair and square."

Natasha stared at the hat for a moment, then held it out to Joshua.

"Then why don't you hold on to it for me," she said, smiling. "You trusted me well enough to tell me its secret; now, I entrust it back to you."

Joshua stared at Natasha in surprise, but only for a moment. Then he graciously accepted the hat from her.

"Very well, I shall wear this hat until you claim it back from me," said Joshua grandly, as he flipped the hat back on his head. He then leaned forward, until his eyes were level with Natasha's.

"Who knows," he said softly. "Perhaps one day, you will trust me to hold on to something else of yours... Something much more valuable than a mere hat."

As Natasha blushed even harder, Joshua smiled knowingly. He may have lost the bet, but he had a feeling he'd still be the winner, in the long run.

END

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The original title for this story was "A Tip of the Hat, and a Flip of the Coin", but then I remembered this idiom, and thought it was more appropriate (and less wordy ;).

This story is based on an old plot idea that I never got around to writing, partly because someone else had already written something similar at the time (specifically, the story "Ode to a Hat", by Megeara Inc.). So I tried to go a slightly different route in my story (like focusing on Natasha rather than Joshua, etc.).


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